


Self-Inflicted Pain

by triple_threat_tenipuri



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: just Inui teaching Kaidoh a lesson, short fic thing, this isn't really romantic per se
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 23:47:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7953814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triple_threat_tenipuri/pseuds/triple_threat_tenipuri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inui finds Kaidoh practicing by himself, but he is not pleased with his methods.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Self-Inflicted Pain

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on my own personal experience.

_Thwack._ Kaidoh winced as he drove the frame of his racket into his shin. Idiot, if only he had moved his feet more, he would’ve gotten to that shot. Wiping sweat from his brow, the black-haired boy got ready for the next ball. The ball machine spewed another ball with heavy pace to his backhand corner. This time, Kaidoh reached it, swinging with a twist of his core. Although his shot had a fair amount of topspin and pace, it only clipped the net cord before dropping teasingly back onto his side of the court.

“Bend your knees, idiot,” Kaidoh hissed, swinging his racket at his leg. _Thwack._

Inui looked on from afar, biting his lip. He was in the middle of a walk when he spotted Kaidoh at one of the local courts, practicing by himself. He admired his teammate’s dedication, but this… this was not alright. If Kaidoh wanted to improve, this was not the way to do it.

The bespectacled boy had been observing for about ten minutes. Every time Kaidoh made a mistake, he would hit himself rather harshly in the leg with the racket. His desire to improve had driven him to take radical measures. An intense fire burned in his eyes, and a permanent frown was plastered on his face.

_Thwack._ Inui looked at Kaidoh’s right leg. His shin was blotched red and purple, the result of repeated self-inflicted torture. How long had he been out there? Inui gripped the straps of his backpack tightly. He wasn’t going to let this happen any longer.

“Kaidoh,” Inui called, approaching the fence. Kaidoh stopped, turning to face Inui as a ball whizzed past him.

“Fssssshhhh,” Kaidoh hissed.

“What did you do to your leg?” Inui motioned to Viper’s battered shin. Kaidoh looked away, blushing from embarrassment.

“I thought it would help me stop making mistakes,” he answered. “If I do this, my body will correct its form.” Inui shook his head.

“Kaidoh, come here,” he directed firmly. Kaidoh reluctantly dropped his racket and left the court; as he walked, Inui noticed a slight limp in his gait.

“I’m sorry, senpai,” he apologized, hanging his head. Inui said nothing. He slid his backpack off and unzipped it.

“You’re lucky I have ice packs on me,” the older boy said. “Sit down.” Kaidoh took a seat on a nearby bench, slouching in shame. Inui approached him and pressed an ice pack against his shin. Kaidoh tensed; the pack was frigid and seemed to bite his skin.

“Fsssshhh.” Inui took a towel and wrapped it around Kaidoh’s leg, tying it off to secure the pack.

“The next match is coming up, and you thought it would be a good idea to punish yourself like this?” Inui said, adjusting his thick glasses. He tried his best to stay calm, but his voice carried a hint of worry. “At this rate, all you’ll do is worsen your physical condition.”

“I’m sorry,” Kaidoh mumbled. “I don’t like making mistakes. I thought that if I did something painful every time I made a mistake, I wouldn’t do it anymore.”

“Nobody likes to make mistakes, Kaidoh,” Inui said, sitting down next to him. “But to think that you can play perfectly is impossible. We all make mistakes--including Tezuka and Echizen.” He paused, studying Kaidoh’s face. He was staring at his wounded leg, embarrassed. No doubt would it take a while to heal, and Kaidoh knew it.

“I just wanted to prove myself,” he said. “I wanted to prove that I could compete with the rest of everyone. I want to be able to beat anyone I face.”

“I understand that,” Inui sighed, “but such violence and self destruction are not the solution.” Kaidoh didn’t respond. 

“There’s something you have to keep in mind,” Inui continued. Kaidoh met his gaze. “If you lose a point, or a game, due to your own mistakes, you have to forget about it. That point or game is done and over with. You can’t go back and fix it. The best thing you can do is move on and focus on the next point, right?” He smiled.

“After all, we learn more from our losses than our wins.”


End file.
